Can't Do This Anymore
by Through the Mirror Darkly
Summary: When Nicolas reveals Jake's identity to Elizabeth at the Nurses Ball, she had a more realistic reaction. (Endgame Liason and Samtrick. No Sam Bashing)
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own GH. I don't any characters. This is purely for amusement and to enhance my writing purposes.

Summary: Familiarity breeds contempt, and after all that had happened the last time with Jason, after learning Jake Doe's identity, Elizabeth has more realistic reaction.

Pairing: Mentions of Liason and mentions of Jasam

Warning: There is no bashing. Not of Sam. Not of Liz.

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 **CAN'T DO THIS ANYMORE**

By ThroughtheMirrorDarkly

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CHAPTER ONE OF THREE

"The Truth Is Out"

As Nicolas's words seeped into her heart, Elizabeth felt completely torn.

She was happy Jason was alive. His death had been a heavy blow for so many in Port Charles. Jason had a piece of her heart since he had saved her at Jake's, and no matter whether they were more than friends or lovers, he would always be important to her. Just like he was important to Spinelli, Carly, Sonny and Sam. God, Jason hadn't even gotten to know Danny was his thanks to Heather Webber changing the paternity results. The relief had nearly brought her to tears, and joy swelled in her heart.

And then came the other emotions. She had fallen in love with Jake Doe so easily. He made her laugh, and smile more than she had in a long time. He encouraged her painting, and he was so good with her boys. Now…now that love was tainted with the knowledge that he was Jason. Even though Jason would always have an important part of her heart, she couldn't love him like she once had. Too much had happened in 2012 for that to be a possibility anymore. Jason had both her and Sam twisted up in knots. Instead of stepping like he should after Sam thought she had been raped by Franco, he let his feelings take precedence over his wife's. Elizabeth had tried to be a good friend in the start of it. She encouraged Jason to go back to his wife, and to understand where Sam was coming from. Then he had filed for divorce, and had kissed her.

That small kernel of hope that had always been there flared to life. That star-crossed lovers story that could play out right if they could get their timing right. After he adamantly told her that his marriage was over, she had thrown him a birthday party and kissed him.

And then he pushed her away. He told they couldn't be together for the sake of Jake's memory! It had cut Elizabeth deeper than he knew because it was the first time in a long time she looked at Jason with a clear view. It was just an excuse. Just like the danger was an excuse. Just like using Franco was an excuse with Sam. An excuse to not give it his all with her, or with Sam. To keep a level of distance between himself and them just in case he had to shove them out of his life. Or at least, that's what it felt like to Elizabeth.

With a broken heart in her hands, Elizabeth had made the horrible mistake of changing the maternity test on Danny. She had let Jason hurting her, and the unresolved anger towards Sam cloud her judgment in that crucial moment. It hadn't helped that she understood that Tea would feel the pain that she had felt when Jake had passed, but wasn't Sam going through the same? It had taken twenty-four hours where she had toiled over it, riddled with guilt and self-loathing and she realized that she couldn't keep such a horrible secret and live with it. She just wasn't a good liar. A good liar could keep a secret and not feel remorse for it what so ever.

Elizabeth couldn't do that. Oh, she would justify herself to the moon and back to convince herself of what she was doing was right. She usually lied for the right reason, and those times she could bear it. But when she knew she was firmly in the wrong? It ate her up like acid rain corroded away stone, and she could barely stand the face in the mirror. Her affair with Nicolas made her feel like that. Lying about Jake's paternity made her feel like that. There were a couple of other times, but it was not something she ever wanted to feel again.

So when Nicolas implied that she could keep this between them, or tell the truth, like it didn't matter it made her stare at him in horror. The horror was replaced by a rage so black that she felt like she spitting fire. "No. No, you don't get to do that," Elizabeth said, venomously. Her hand twitched to smack him right across the face once again. "You do not get to make me responsible for your lie, and if there is part of you that ever genuinely loved Emily or me or cared about your cousin, Sam…you'd go out there right now and tell them what they need to know, Nicolas."

"I can't do that, Elizabeth," Nicolas shook his head.

"No, you can, Nicolas," Elizabeth said, harshly. "You are just choosing not to. I won't do that. I can't do that. I have lived lie after lie, and it doesn't save anyone. It doesn't keep them safe or happy. It only makes the inevitable crash all that worse, and if you were half the man that I believed you to be…you wouldn't do that us."

Nicolas looked away, his jaw clenched tightly, but he said nothing. There was nothing he could say because her words were true.

"Tell them," Elizabeth said, softly. Her eyes were welled up with angry tears, and her entire body shook. She couldn't believe that Nicolas could keep something this huge from all of them. "You go tell Jason, Sam, Patrick and everyone else that needs to know the truth or I swear to God, tomorrow I will bring the lie down around you. I'm giving you one chance, Nicolas. One chance to do the right thing. Please don't make wrong in giving you that much."

She shoved past him without another word, and he didn't stop her. She couldn't breath, and she felt that her heart had been torn out of chest. Jake Doe was the first man that she had felt genuinely happy with in a long, long time. A man that didn't come with baggage of the past, and that she entertained thoughts of the future with. She had tried to be noble and make things work with Ric to keep her away from temptation. Jake had been 'married' to Hayden, so they couldn't be together. That brief moment when Ric's lie came crashing down, and after the anger had dissipated, she had felt _relieved._

The chains of obligation had been lifted for both her and Jake.

Then Nicolas told the hard truth, and that hope was shattered. He wasn't Jake Doe, a man that she could have a future with. He was Jason Morgan, married to Sam, and Elizabeth had so much baggage with Jason that it wasn't even funny. Years and years of good and bad memories. Of hurt and love. It was all too much for this moment, and she stumbled out into the night.

"Elizabeth."

Elizabeth nearly broke down at the sound of his voice. Oh, God, how had she not realized? His voice wasn't that much differently. It was lighter, less husky than it had been, but it was still so fundamentally Jason that she felt a bigger fool not to have realized it sooner. Did she just no see it because it would change everything? She was always good at fooling herself most of all. "Jake, please, don't," she whispered, when she felt him take a step closer to her. "Just go back inside."

"No," Jake said, firmly. "I'm not leaving you. Not when you are hurting like this. I'm so sorry, Elizabeth. Carly should not have made a spectacle like that. I'm sorry you have find out the truth about Ric like that."

 _The truth,_ Elizabeth thought, with a watery laugh. That's what it always came down to was the truth, wasn't it? No matter how much someone ran from it, it always came back to the truth, and the aftermath was almost ugly. "I'm not upset over that," she assured him, and slowly turned to face him. "It has nothing to with Ric. It's something to do with you."

"Me?" Jake whispered, his brows furrowed.

Elizabeth looked up at him, looked at the man a piece had always loved, and probably always would, and she couldn't lie. "Nicolas knew who you were," she told him, brokenly.

"What? What do you mean Nicolas knows who I am?" Jake stated at her, shocked.

"He knew, and he lied about it, but he confessed to me in the changing rooms, after Carly outed Ric," she said, hurriedly. Her shaking hands came up, and touched her mouth, her head shaking side to side. "You're Jason Morgan," Elizabeth said, not able to hold it back anymore. She felt her throat clog with tears when he stepped back as if she had physical hit him. "You're Jason…" the whisper fell between them like thunder in a storm, and silence followed.

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Hope you enjoy!

RRs are appreciated.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own GH. I don't any characters. This is purely for amusement and to enhance my writing purposes.

Summary: Familiarity breeds contempt, and after all that had happened the last time with Jason, after learning Jake Doe's identity, Elizabeth has more realistic reaction.

Pairing: Mentions of Liason and mentions of Jasam

Warning: There is no bashing. Not of Sam. Not of Liz.

I want to thank, , for the follows.

Guest 1: I didn't want to Sam bash. It's a hollow endeavor in current events because I feel Sam has truly changed from who she was in 2006. Liason writer here, so they will always be my pairing unless I pair Liz intentionally with someone else.

Mari: Thank you so much! I wish the show would bring this type of Elizabeth back. Yep, Liz would have totally put Nic in his place, but the writers ruined it. They could have Nic threaten her to keep the secret, and had a similar storyline without assassinating her like they did.

Pamela: Thank you so much. I, too, believe this could have been way more angst and drama, too. It would have given RH, BM, KeMo, and JT so much to work with, and I think would have won them Emmys. Alas the writers lost that chance.

Guest: I agree, too. Liason fanfic writers really need to get out here. I know what happened on the show was disheartening, but we are a tight nit group, and the majority of the fanfiction is our only way of having our couple. Thank you so much!

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CHAPTER TWO

"All or Nothing at All"

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The drive to her home was long, and silent. Both of them stewed in their own thoughts, and Elizabeth silently wondered why she allowed him to drive her home. It was because there was a weak part of her that didn't want to be alone, and he didn't need to be alone, either. It wasn't a good idea. It was foolish, because she needed to close up her heart and keep him far away from it. She stepped into her living room, and felt a coldness settle into her blood. There were many regrets left in these walls, but the one that hurt her the most was the fact this house was bought to build a house and family with Jason. For some reason, that hit her harder right in this moment than it had ever before and she drew in a deep breath. "You can stay the night, and tomorrow I'm sure Carly will set you up with a hotel room at the Metro Court. I don't think she ever lets anyone stay in your old room," she said, but she barely recalled speaking at all.

"Why are you doing this?" Jake stared at her. She wouldn't face him, her eyes looked everywhere, but at him, and it was driving him mad.

"Doing what?" She asked, lightly.

"Shoving me away," he stated, fiercely. "Ever since we left the Nurses Ball, ever since you learned my identity, you've looked at me differently."

Elizabeth felt her heart break even more. "I don't want to look at you differently, but everything changed the moment I know you were Jason. You married to Sam, and you are my friend, and you mean so much to the people here."

"But there's more to it," Jake stated, with a shake of his head. "You have these walls that weren't there before. You don't trust me like you did before, and I just can't figure out why."

Elizabeth looked at him, sorrowfully. "I'm sorry. Jason and mine's relationship was complicated, even when it was just a friendship. Jason never gave me a real chance to be with him. It wasn't just his fault, we had hurt each other through the years so it made it hard to make a commitment, but when we started to try again," Elizabeth said, dropped onto the couch. Her arms cradled around her midsection, and she closed her eyes against the wave of memories that bubbled to the surface. "It was always excuses about dangers, and having to sneak around. I'm not going to say that it was all him," she said, her finger fiddling with her necklace. It felt too tight almost like it was choking her. She looked at Jake Doe, and now she could see the familiarity to Jason. The small hints that had been staring at her for so long, and everything fell into place. "I had a choice and a voice. I should have stepped up and fought for us to, but I let myself buy into the danger. I let held myself back because he was holding himself back. We danced around each other until our time was out, and then the mess in 2012."

"Elizabeth, I…I may be Jason Morgan," Jake Doe said, quietly. "But I don't have his memories. All I remember is being Jake Doe. All I remember is waking up to you, and remembering your face."

"Not yet," Elizabeth replied, a tear streaking down her face. "But your memory isn't the issues. Not really. It's my memory that's the problem."

"I don't understand," Jake frowned.

Elizabeth pursed her lips, drawing in a deep breath. "In 2012, Jason…you weren't the best person. Neither was I, but all that happened changed how I look at Jason. He had Sam in knots over her baby because she thought Franco had raped her, and I was so wrapped in the pain of his rejection that I kept Sam from knowing her baby was alive for an entire day. I subjected another mother to the pain I felt when I lost Jake, and I hated that I could sink so low. Sam and I have done horrible, unforgivable things to each other over Jason's love that…that we both have a lot to shameful for." She wrapped her arms around her, and closed her eyes in despair. "Even though, I will always care for you…I don't think I can let you have a place in my heart. It hurts too much to build the vision of us up inside of my head, only to have it crumble apart because our love wasn't enough for you."

"Elizabeth, my feelings for you are genuine," Jake said, taking a step forward. He gently took her hand in his, and held it tightly. "I don't remember being Jason. I barely recall Sam, and that memory did nothing for me. It didn't stir up any feelings. I don't remember Carly or Sonny. All there is in my memory is you. You are what stirs something inside my chest. This connection to you that I couldn't explain is what has kept me here."

"I know that they are. I know that you've grown to care for me. We've always had this…connection between us that we couldn't fight. It always pulled us back to one another in one form or another," Elizabeth choked, her heart twisting inside her chest. "But I'm not sure I can start something with you when there is so much…" She shook her head, and gently pulled her hand free from his. "I do care for you. I've been fighting it just like I always had to fight it before, but I can't start something with you. Not when there is a chance your memories and feelings for Sam can come back. It would just hurt us in the long run, and you owe it to her to figure out if you can be with her again. To figure out what will happen to your marriage, and what will happen with Danny."

Jake's shoulders slumped. His eyes were filled with so much pain, and he stared down at Elizabeth's pale and stricken face. He wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms to ease her pain away. But he couldn't because he was the cause for it. He had known that no one wanted to say anything bad about Jason, and in his heart, he had known that the mobster hadn't been perfect. In fact, it had irritated him that everyone would praise him especially after all he had learned. Perhaps his mind might not remember who he was, but his conscious did and it was screaming at him that he did not want to be that kind of man that could do that to Elizabeth, and to Sam.

"What if after trying to figure things out that I still want to be with you? That after spending time with Sam, and Danny that my heart still wants you? What then Elizabeth?" Jake demanded, his blue eyes searched her face.

"I…I don't know," Elizabeth whispered, wiping away the tears.

"What if…if I prove to you that I am a man capable of loving you?" Jake asked, his voice filled with pain. He took a step forward, hesitant as if not to scare her away and he searched over intently. "What if I prove that I am ready to give you everything this time? Could you find in your heart to give me everything, too?"

Elizabeth couldn't speak for a moment. The knot of emotion swelled in her throat because being with Jason had always been this unattainable dream. It had no place in reality, and she could only hold onto the memories. To have him say those words touched her heart no matter how she fought it. "It would be all or nothing," she said, her voice trembled. "I can't do any more of this in-between, or being uncertain where we stand. I can't live like that because it's not healthy and it only hurts both of us. So if you still want to be with me after everything, and you really mean to give your all…" She drew in a shaky breath, and ran her fingers down the side of her face. "I will, too. But not now. Not yet."

"But you'll wait for me?" Jake asked, the pain in his heart eased. He licked his parched lips, and looked at her hopefully.

Elizabeth told herself that she was foolish. That she shouldn't do this. That she should just walk away, and that way she wouldn't be soul crushed once again when Jason went back to Sam. But when was the last time she had started a relationship without reservations? It wasn't with Ewen. She couldn't even be with him because there was something she felt off about him, and she had been proven right when he turned out to be working for Jerry Jacks. It wasn't with AJ. There was always the fear of him cheating after he did so with Carly. Nicolas could never make up his mind about her or Britt in the end, so the feelings that she had for had all but evaporated. As for Ric, she had thrown herself back into their relationship feeling that she owed it to him and to keep her away from temptation when she thought Jake was married to Hayden.

The only time she had been ready to dive in was with Jake Doe.

"I'll wait," Elizabeth whispered, brokenly. "I'll wait if you really mean what you say, but know I…I will understand and a-accept if you fall back in love with Sam. I know that she is important to you—"

"Sam was important to Jason," Jake corrected, his tone not unkind. He said it very matter of fact, and ran a hand down the side of his jaw. "I don't know, Sam, beyond the rocky start we had when I was under Helena's control. She is an acquaintance to me, and the wife of the man I used to be. But Elizabeth, I can feel it in my heart that I am not that man anymore. Even if my memories return, I don't think I can go back to being Jason Morgan, the right hand of Sonny Corinthos. The thought of violence makes me sick," he said, with disgust written plainly on his face. "It's not a life that I want. It's not what I need in my life."

Elizabeth sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "How is that I resolve myself not to fall in love with you, and then you manage to break through every wall I have like they were made of nothing more than sand?" She whispered, her tone morose and longing.

"Because in your heart you know that this time isn't like the last time, or the time before that," Jake told her, feeling emboldened by her promise. "You know that this time there isn't the past or obligations that are going to get in our way. That I'm not going to let them get in our way because my heart is yours, Elizabeth Webber. It's been yours since the moment I woke up, and I can't imagine being with anyone, but you."

Elizabeth never felt so tore in two directions in her entire life. Part of her wanted to sink into his arms, and come what hell may. The other part was more cautious, and didn't want to get heartbroken once again. Her hands trembled, reaching out to take his when the front door burst open. The two of them turned to see a stricken Sam McCall standing there, her expression was pained and hurt and angry.

"Sam, what are you doing here?" She asked, though she had a good idea. She could only imagine what Sam's reaction to finding out Jason was alive, and had been right in front of them this whole time. It was the only reason she wasn't going to say anything about the woman barging into her house like she owned the place.

"Looking for him," Sam said, with a glare. She shut the door behind her none too gently. "When he left the Metrocourt, I figured that there were only a few places he would go to."

Elizabeth could read between the lines. Sam had hoped he would have gone to the penthouse, or Sonny's. Hell, Sam probably would have wanted to find him at the Quartermaine's rather than here. But Elizabeth's house had been the only home that Jake Doe knew, and Elizabeth was beginning to realize that she couldn't judge Jake like he was Jason. It wasn't fair to either of them, to place the blame for Jason's action on Jake who couldn't remember any of that.

"Here I am," Jake said, quietly. "What did you want me for?"

Sam stared at him as if he had grown a second head. "How can you ask that? Or has Elizabeth not told you? You're Jason," she said, her voice wobbled over the name. Her hands had curled into fists, as if trying to keep herself from touching him to see if he was real. "You're my husband."

"Elizabeth told me," Jason said, nipping that thought in the bud quick. This revelation was killing everyone, and he didn't want anyone placing any sort of blame on Elizabeth. She had told him about Nicolas's lie the second she saw him.

"Then how can you ask what am I here for? I'm here to see you," Sam said, running her hands through hair. "My God, Jason, you're alive. I always dreamed about this, but I never thought…oh, Danny! Danny already likes you so much, and I always wondered why he took to you so instantly. I guess he just knew. You should come and see him and…"

"Sam, I know that this…is a big deal. I know that it is going to change things for everyone involved, but I need time to figure things out," Jake told Sam, honestly. "This…this has hit all of us very hard. I can't decide anything tonight."

"And so you came to Elizabeth's to figure things out?" Sam said, caustically. She was hiding the hurt that burst up in her heart with sarcastic and biting tone. "My God, you just found out that you were Jason. That you have a wife, and a son. A mother who is out of her mind with worry, and the first place you come to is here?"

"Yes," Jake said, his tone blunt. "Sam, I know that this is hard for all involved. It's going to be hard, and painful. But just because I was Jason Morgan doesn't magically erase the fact that I know nothing about that life beyond what people have told me. It doesn't automatically erase the last year where Elizabeth helped me, gave me a home, and was the only that stood behind when everyone else was ready to lock me in jail and throw away the key. Yourself included in that, by the way."

Sam flinched. "I know that. I just…I just had hoped…" she said, her tone wounded.

"Sam, I'm sorry you are hurting. I truly am," Jake told her, with genuine sympathy in his voice. "I can't do this tonight. It's just too much. Elizabeth has told me a little bit about Jason, but honestly, I just don't want to hear any more about him."

"What have you been telling him?" Sam said, with an accusing stare at Elizabeth. Her pain and anger was given a target. "I shouldn't be surprised that you would try to insert yourself into Jason and mine's life once again. Just like when you tried to trap with a child during that blackout."

"Oh, no, you do not get to blame your relationship troubles all on me. Not for what happened back in 2006, nor what happened in 2012. You and Carly can howl to the moon how I climbed fifteen flights of stairs to entrap Jason, when you conveniently forget the fact that I had just found my husband cheating on me again. Not to mention, Jason had just found you with Ric who was your stepfather at the time," Elizabeth stated, with a fierce glower at the other woman. She understood the other woman was in pain, and sympathized with her, but she would be damned before she let Sam twist her and Jason's entire history into something ugly. As much as Sam wanted it to be, Elizabeth had never been the gold digger that panted after Jason's money. "Jason and I comforted each other that night. We didn't plan it, but it happened. Also the trapping Jason with a child? We used protection. We had no idea that the condoms were faulty until a month after that night, and they were Jason's."

Sam blanched. She hadn't expected the other woman to lay out the past like that. The meek nurse usually just sat back and took the hits when delivered, not bothering to correct them. Something was different now. Something in the way Elizabeth held herself that made Sam confused, and wary.

"Sam, Elizabeth has said nothing more than the fact that Jason hurt both of you in 2012, and the both of you had made horrible mistakes when it came to fighting over him," Jake said, making a clear distinction between himself and Jason Morgan. Even if his memories came back, he swore to himself that he'd never be that kind of man that could hurt people and pretend to have a heart of gold in the same moment.

"Did she tell you what she did then? How she changed the DNA test results and kept my son from me?" Sam told him, her voice raw with emotion.

"She did tell me that, in fact," Jake said, biting the inside of his cheek. He knew that Sam's anger stemmed from the pain of loss, a wound that doesn't heal, and the shock of his identity been revealed. He knew it tore Sam up inside because she had been ready to move on with Patrick, and now the past was pulling on her, she stood a crossroad in uncertainty.

"She did?" Sam said, faltering.

"Yes, Sam, I did," Elizabeth said, eyebrow arched. "Unlike some, I admit and own up to my past instead of dance around it. I can't change what I did, but I'm not going to let someone use it against me. Just like I wouldn't use someone past mistakes against them because I was pretty sure they had changed. I'm starting to question that."

Sam's mouth clicked shut, a flash of remorse appeared in her dark eyes. She turned away from them, a shaky breath rattled through, and she looked like her legs were going to collapse right from underneath her.

Elizabeth sighed, heavily. "Jake, do you think you could go put on some tea? I think Sam and I need to talk," she said, softly.

"You sure?" Jake asked, looking at her with concern.

"Yes," Elizabeth nodded.

"Okay, but I will be right in the other room," Jake warned, a glance over at Sam before he disappeared into the kitchen.

Elizabeth looked at the other woman who was about to crumble down into tears. "Sam, please, sit down," she said, placing a hand on the other woman's elbow to usher her to the couch. "You are about to collapse."

"I can't believe this. I…" Sam swallowed, thickly. "You should be kicking me out, you know? After what I said. I didn't intend on saying it. I didn't come here to throw the past in your face. Honestly, I didn't," Sam sniffled, wiping the tears from her face. "I came here to confront Jake. I came here to see if I saw anything inside of him that was Jason, and when he just looked at me like…like I'm practically a stranger, it was like being hit by a bullet. I just…I just wanted…"

"To last out," Elizabeth said, softly. "To make someone hurt like you hurt."

"Y-yes," came the stuttered reply. Sam looked at Elizabeth, tearfully, and apologetically. "And I hated that was my first impulse. I thought I was beyond that, especially after what I did to baby Jake by watching him…" She trailed off, her eyes closed painfully tight. "I thought I had grown since then, but after what just happened, I felt myself sliding down a slippery slope. I don't want to be that vindictive, cruel person again, but I feel so overwhelmed, and lost, and I don't know what to do."

"Sam, this is a big shock, and you don't need to have everything figured out in one night. I know that you are hurting, and you are lashing out in the only way you know how. I'm a convenient target because Helena is no one near, and you probably don't trust yourself to not hurt Nicolas. And you don't need to explain. I have been where you have been when Lucky came back from the dead all those years ago, and I know the pain and fear and being stuck in the middle of following your heart, but not knowing which is love and which is obligation," Elizabeth said, understandingly. God knows she could sympathize with Sam situation.

"And you chose what? Obligation?" Sam asked, quietly.

"Yeah, I did," Elizabeth replied, quietly. "And I lashed out against the man that I loved."

Sam knew she wasn't talking about Lucky. "How did you get past it?"

"With time, and distance," Elizabeth said, honestly. "I had to face the painful truth that sometimes things don't magically get fixed and go back to the way they were before. That sometimes things are meant to fall apart so new things can take their place. It doesn't mean that the old thing won't still be a part in your life, just what it will be there in a different capacity."

Sam's shoulders slumped. "Do you think that is what's going to happen with Jason? That I'm going to have to let go, and move onward?" She asked, brokenly.

"I…can't answer that for you, Sam. Memories are tricking. Sometimes, they are gone. Sometimes, they come back. The feelings attached to them might be there, it might not. It just something you are going to have to figure out," Elizabeth told her, honestly. "It's not going to be easy. Figuring out if you should try with Jason, for the sake of your marriage and the past, and try to rebuild if it can be. Or if your feelings for Patrick are enough to let go of the past, and make a future with him."

"What about you? I know you and…Jake were becoming something more when Ric resurfaced," Sam had to ask, and watched the conflict pass over the other woman's face.

"Nothing. Nothing until everything gets sorted out," Elizabeth swore, with a heaviness in her heart. Her blue eyes looked over at the mantle, and the picture of her and Jason that sat there. "I can't start something with him when there is a possibility that his past may come flooding back. I don't want to set myself on a path to break my own heart. I've done it too many times, and if…if after everything is figured out, that Jake still wants to be with, a hundred percent certain he wants to try, only then will I start something."

"That's…pretty wise," Sam nodded.

"Well, that's not something I have been accused of being in a while," Elizabeth said, with a sad smile. She looked around her home, and let out a deep sigh. "Whatever happens…a lot of people are going to get hurt. I just know it."

The two women fell silent, and wondered how Jason's return would change their lives, and what that meant. Meanwhile, the man whose life was at the center of the revelation was torn between what his heart wanted, and a past he didn't remember.

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END OF CHAPTER!

Hope you all enjoyed! I apologize if I didn't answer your review! I will get to it, but I've been sick, so it's hard to concentrate of anything let alone a computer screen, but I wanted to get the chapter out so here it is. :D

RRs are appreciated.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own GH. I don't any characters. This is purely for amusement and to enhance my writing purposes.

Summary: Familiarity breeds contempt, and after all that had happened the last time with Jason, after learning Jake Doe's identity, Elizabeth has more realistic reaction.

Pairing: Mentions of Liason and mentions of Jasam

Warning: There is no bashing. Not of Sam. Not of Liz.

I want to thank, ABCSOAPFAN1963, Neo Lady Bianca, RobJas, Wonderwomom, bookfreak25, imccarthy, lrobinson01, saraungerer, bjq, jasgem, skatiefan, GeneralHospitalFan101, notenoughlove, trini12180, KristosLilly, samtrick, McAliceKatePotterGHShield, scatteredlight, Jillybean9, Ninlil, pwrmom2, rosyronni, Liasonforever12, for the follows.

I want to thank, Neo Lady Bianca, imccarthy, lrobinson01, Meghie03, jasgem, CandyHearts22, notenoughlove, trini12180, theonlythingthatsevermattered, KristosLilly, samtrick, denimieigha, for the favorites.

I want to thank, Jerri, Guest, arcoiris0502, kcke2pen, trini12180, Guest, bjq, Guest, notenoughlove, Guest, KristosLilly, Pamela, lrobinson01, sciencegirl, Liasonforver12, for the reviews.

Guest Reviews:

Jerri: I'm glad that you like it. It's not going to be a long fic, I always intended to do two chapters, and then wrap it up with a short synopsis-like third chapter.

Guest: Exactly so. I felt that if the lie had never been a thing that it would have been a better story. One where Jason would have to deal with being torn between the two women who are arguably the most important in his life, and BM, KeMo, and Becky could have made emmy gold with it. Instead, the writers chose the easy way out.

Guest: Thank you. I always thought so too. I hate it when they destroy a character for nothing more than a plot point. There would have been so much better of a story and drama without the lie.

Guest: Thank you!

Guest: Thanks!

Pamela: Thank you. Liason will always be my favorite soap couple, too, but I can't even want them on the show anymore. There would have to be so much addressed between them before I would be happy to see them together again. I know, I wish more writers would write for Liason. There just isn't enough out there. Sam is a character I will never be able to root for, but I don't always see her as a villain. It depends on my mood. Sometimes, I still am angry with her character and other times I can appreciate that she isn't that way anymore. Thanks again for the review.

Sciencegirl: Thank you so much! I wish I wrote for GH. Things would be so different for some many people. :D

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CHAPTER THREE

"How We Come Together"

Time felt agonizing slow for Elizabeth Webber in the next coming months. Her life was a twisty, topsy turvy rollercoaster of emotions that she was forced to go on, and there was no getting off. She had gotten into the seat, buckled herself in, and there was not stopping it now. It had been hard with the distance that she put between her and Jason, but she had to give him that space. She would not give anyone a leg to stand on and try to say she intentionally trapped Jason. Carly had found her, and started spitting the usual venom—apparently now that she knew Jake Doe was Jason whatever civility they had managed to create was null and void. Elizabeth shut Carly down, and told her as much as she would like it, the blond couldn't rewrite history to fit her views. Elizabeth left the fuming blond behind, and went about her day like it was any other day.

But Carly was hardly the only person to get all bent out of shape over the news. Monica, in her passive aggressive way, needled at Elizabeth's self-control by telling her that she needed to back off and let Jason and Sam work things out. Elizabeth could have scratched the woman's eyes out, but instead, pointed out frostily that she was doing exactly that, and that it wasn't really Monica's place to monitor her relationship with Jason. Jason had to figure things out for himself, and both Sam and Elizabeth were standing back and letting him because they knew to force things would damage their relationship with him.

Monica hadn't appreciated the snub, and Elizabeth found herself suddenly picking up extra hours. The joke was on Monica because that overtime helped keep Elizabeth grounded. It helped keep her steady and her thoughts away from the chaos in her life. Cameron and Aiden were a little upset that Jake was suddenly not there anymore, but she sat down and a long discussion with them. She didn't want them to feel that it was anything they did that drove Jake away, because she knew how painfully that was to believe that all problems that your family was your fault. That had been story of her teenage years, and she would be damned before she allowed her boys ever feel like that.

"Elizabeth."

Elizabeth's head jerked up from where she working on updating a patient's file, and she saw Jason standing there. Her heart clenched at the sight of him, and her jaw trembled. "Hey," Elizabeth said, fighting to keep her tone light. "How is everything? I heard you left town, but Sonny said not to worry. That you were coming back."

Jason came to stand adjacent from her at the nurse's hub, and tapped his fingers nervously against the counter top. "Yeah, I needed to clear my head, and with everyone hoping for me to remember how important they were to Jason Morgan, it wasn't happening here. So I took off for a few days. I'm sorry that I just left out of the blue. Normally, I wouldn't do that especially with Jake and Danny—"

"Hey, no explanations needed," Elizabeth reassured him, with an understanding smile. "I know it's been hard for you. Everyone has all these expectations for who you are, and you don't remember that person. It had to be suffocating."

"Yeah, about that. I remember almost everything about…who I was," Jason informed her, awkwardly.

"Oh," Elizabeth's heart sank. Helena had taken so away from, and while he couldn't get back time, it was a good thing he could at least get back his memories. A part of her was happy for him, but there was always a resigned sadness that washed over her from head to toe. She was certain that if he had his memories back then that must mean he wanted to get back together with Sam. "That's good. Sam must be ecstatic."

Jason's brows furrowed in confusion before he realized what she meant. "Oh. Oh, yeah, I mean, I'm sure she'll be happy for me, but Elizabeth…I still want to be with you," he told her, his head cocked to the side. "I may have my memories back, Elizabeth, but my heart—all those feelings—they are for you. I still love you."

Elizabeth stood there; the file held between her fingers quaked. "You…what?" Her voice cracked, and her heart thumped painfully in her chest. She had fought against hope. She fought against building up dreams, and had been living one day to the next without expectations on her future with Jason, and what capacity she would be in his life. She didn't want to build up that hope, and feed the love in her heart, only to have it come crashing down around her again.

Jason smiled slightly. He grabbed the file in her hand, and set it down upon the counter then took her small hand in his. He led her around the counter until there was no barrier between them, and told her softly, "Sam and I sat down and talked. It was probably something we should have done ages ago, but we did it a few weeks ago, and we both realized that we just didn't work together. We had problems in our relationship—problems that had nothing to do with anyone beyond us—and realized that going back to that wouldn't be healthy. She has moved on to the next chapter in her life, grown beyond what she was when she was with me, and is happy with Patrick. She has built a future with him, wants to spend a lifetime with him and she can't regret it. I told her I wished her nothing, but the best, and she gave me a bit of advice."

"She did?" Elizabeth whispered. "What advice did she give you?"

"To stop being afraid. Life is too short to be lived in fear, and afraid to go after what I wanted. That I always let fear stop me from being with you, and that if I really wanted a life with you to fight tooth and nail for it because we both deserve happiness," Jason stated, with a big goofy grin on his face as he stared down into the face of the woman he loved. "So here I am. I am willing to fight for you, Nurse Webber. Are you willing to do the same?"

"Yes," the breathless reply was pulled from the depths of her soul. "Yes, I will fight for you. I should have done it before, but I am willing to do it now."

"That's all I needed to hear," Jason said.

Then he swooped down planting a kiss onto her lips. She gave a low moan, placing her hand upon the side of her face, and her other arm wrapping around his neck. His arm ran across the small of her back, pulling her flush towards him. Felix let out wolf-whistle, and Epiphany said, "About time."

Monica looked like she was swallowed a lemon.

Jason and Elizabeth couldn't have cared less.

The next months passed in a blur, and so much around them was changing. With Diane's efficiently quick work, Sam and Jason divorce was finalized in time for Sam and Patrick to have a summer wedding. It was a beautiful outdoor affair, and the first successful wedding that Maxie had planned. Danny and Jake had been ring bearers, while Cameron had been Patrick's best man and Emma had been Sam's Maid of Honor. Quite a number of people had been invited, including Jason and Elizabeth who were now engaged, and there was a little bit of tension with Monica and Carly. Yet it didn't put a damper in the day.

Vows were exchanged, and during them, Jason discreetly handed Elizabeth a tissue which she gratefully accepted to wipe her tearful eyes. The wedding went off without a hitch though when the priest said, "If anyone has a reason these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold you peace" Jason noticed Sonny clamp his hand over Carly's mouth and sent him a grateful look. His self-proclaimed best friend had been testing the bounds of his control with the way she had been treating Elizabeth, and how every other word out of her mouth was how she knew that he couldn't be happy marrying the "twit." He had tried to steer clear of the blond, but that only served to make it worse.

The reception was, however, not nearly as drama free. Elizabeth was cornered by Monica, who made horrible accusations, saying that she was trapping Jason. That she was intentionally making him choose her over his family, and even went as far as to say that she must have known who he was when he first got wheeled into the hospital. Saying that she used that to her advantage to build a relationship with him, and Elizabeth smacked her across the face. She informed Monica where she could shove her crazy theories, and it was where the sun didn't shine. Meanwhile, Jason got held up by Carly who ripped into him for allowing the wedding to happen. That he just the one woman who understood him go, and for what? For a flat-chested bitch that would never put him first or truly understand him.

Jason had enough. He told Carly that she had gone too far. That Elizabeth had been accepting of him way before she even knew that he was Jason, and that she had given him the space to figure out his life where Carly couldn't. He told Carly that Elizabeth had always been his dream—a dream he hadn't felt worthy of—and that he regretted allowing fear to distance him from her all those years ago because he wasted so many years not being with her. He also told her that if she couldn't accept that then she wasn't welcomed in his life anymore.

Sam and Patrick watched the drama from afar, and were glad that for once the drama was not square on them. They hadn't had an easy time, either. Robin had come back, and explained why she had been gone, and wanted to start things over with Patrick. However, Patrick—as much as he would always love Robin—couldn't give her another chance. He knew that the love their shared was enough for Robin, and she would always put something else first beyond her family. Robin, hurt, had left Port Charles with promises to figure out custody for Emma at a later date.

It hadn't been the end of the battle for Jason and Elizabeth by any means, but that night they showed each other that they truly meant they wanted to fight for their relationship and their family. It hadn't just been promises that held no meaning, and would later be broken. It was a promise kept, and while things would likely never be perfect, Elizabeth couldn't regret it. She would rather have a full life with all its imperfections, instead of a perfect life that felt hollow, and all those fears that she had?

They didn't matter anymore.

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Thank you all so much! I never intended this to be a full length fic, and if anyone likes the idea, and wished to make into a full length story, just PM me!

RRs are appreciated.


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